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British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi earned a win yet disappointing beginning to his career under new promoters with a points victory over Parker in the Manchester arena.

The Olympic medal winner's work rate seemingly secured him a judges' verdict in a close 10-round bout at the Co-op Live Arena.

But the challenger had his moments, delivering effective clean blows in a contest where the approaches never quite clicked, with excessive holding marring the contest.

The officials had it 96-94 in favor to Buatsi, with the final judge a 95-95.

"It wasn't my best showing but what do champions do? They prevail," the victor stated in the ringside as he was met by negative reactions from the spectators.

The British fighter bounced back after his initial pro loss - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to secure a 20th pro success.

Various analysts believed the challenger, thirty-one, merited the decision but the contender endured the second setback of his 28-fight career.

Buatsi Claims Triumph in Uneventful Encounter

Buatsi's progress has plateaued in recent times through management issues and considerable time of inactivity.

Earlier forecast as the future of British boxing, he now finds himself trying to fulfil that early promise - perhaps in what seems like a ultimate opportunity - under recent support.

He started carefully, with the two boxers willing to take risks in a calculated initial rounds.

Parker, whose sole prior loss came at super-middleweight against John Ryder in two years ago after breaking his hand during the bout, was participating in his second appearance at light-heavyweight.

By the middle rounds, the underdog had stayed in contention, making life awkward for the favorite, who utilized a tight guard to edge the more effective rounds.

The audience's tolerance decreased because of frequent holding, with the challenger going down various instances during grappling.

The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were hard to judge. Nevertheless, previous titleholder Carl Frampton - working with the broadcast network - had it strongly leaning for the challenger, awarding Buatsi just a single round.

Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of hard hitter Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol dominating the weight class, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still appears challenging.

Ricky Hatton Memorial Fuels Manchester Derby Fight

In the supporting bout, Lyndon Arthur defeated Bradley Rea by divided decision in a outstanding Manchester vs Manchester contest to secure the European light-heavyweight title.

The stadium grew hushed for a profoundly moving tribute ahead of the contest as ten bells tolled in honor of local hero Hatton, who passed away 46 years old in recently.

It was the first major televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's death. As the concluding sound disappeared, the quiet transitioned to a shout of "there's just one Ricky Hatton".

The fighting inside the ropes reflected the feeling. Arthur was sent to the canvas by a significant blow directly to the jaw in the initial stage, getting up unsteadily to his footing on the referee's count.

But the traditional red shorts of the fighter soon came forward again. On the opposite side, Rea - in opposing blue - was marked up quickly, heavy swelling forming under his eye as the duo traded powerful shots.

Rea, 27, landed power punches but Arthur, 34, responded in kind with stinging uppercuts as the pace hardly diminished over twelve rounds.

The victor narrowly won the verdict with scoring tallies of draw, 115-113 and clearer margin, but the two athletes were relentless and courageous, exactly what their hero Hatton embodied.